Achi news desk-
A new study found that five companies are responsible for 24 percent of the plastic waste in the world.
Tony Walker, professor of environmental studies at Dalhousie University, co-authored the study, which appeared in the journal “Science Advances.” Speaking to CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Batti on Tuesday, Walker said the top plastic polluters are Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Danone, and Altria.
“We suspected for a while who the big five players would be (and) it was confirmed with a broad data set,” Walker said. “Our finding was actually a comprehensive global study over five years. Eighty-four countries representing more than 80 percent of the world’s population.”
Last week negotiators from 175 nations gathered in Ottawa to discuss a possible global agreement to cut plastic waste. Walker, who specializes in plastic pollution, said his “top wish list” would be for the agreement to be legally binding with hard targets.
“It is very difficult to avoid plastics and plastics that are difficult to recycle,” he said. “It has been at the top of the agenda at many of these meetings.”
Walker noted that the huge amount of plastic waste is a problem that affects all countries, including Canada.
“As a G7 country Canada has been exporting plastic waste to countries outside of Canada for recycling,” he said. “We are surrounded by it.”
Walker said there is no one perfect solution to dealing with plastic solution, but he said scientists have argued that a plastic production cap could be a serious step in the right direction.
“Certainly curbing and capping and reducing plastic pollution at its source is a big solution, as well as better management,” he said.
